Three Musketeers: Furuba Style!
by Takara-Star
Summary: A Fruits Basket version of the Three Musketeers. Kyo, Yuki, and Haru are dreaming big in France! They long to make something of themselves, and be musketeers. The princess, Tohru, is struggling with expectations of others, and of herself.
1. Chapter 1

Three Musketeers: Furuba Style!

Chapter One: Mysterious Meeting

By Takara-Star-Chan

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. It belongs to Natsuki Takaya.

Summary: A Fruits Basket version of the Three Musketeers. Kyo, Yuki, Haru, are dreaming big in France! They work and work for Lady Akito, the head of the gallant, courageous musketeers. The three desperately wish they themselves could be musketeers. The princess, Tohru, ruler of France, struggles with her feelings of wanting to meet everyone's expectations to be the woman everyone expects her to be-especially when it comes to marriage. She also finds herself in danger and asks Lady Akito for some of her Musketeers to be body guards. Could her one true love be one of them?

Cast:

Kyo: The "brains" behind the operations, per say. Kyo has big dreams of being a musketeer. But…his life takes a different turn after meeting the princess.

Yuki: He and Kyo don't get along, even though they have to stick together. He wants to be a musketeer as well, but he's knows that Lady Akito would put him in a group with Kyo if it happened. Either way, he hopes to become one as well.

Haru: The clown of the group. He wishes to be a musketeer as well.

Tohru: The Princess…ruler of France. She dreams of love…and is torn between expectations of herself and the people around her.

Lady Akito: The woman in charge of the prestigious musketeers. She is skilled in the running of this law enforcement group. But she's hiding many secrets…

Shigure: One of the three top musketeers. He whines a lot when trying to get his way.

Ayame: One of the three top musketeers. He has super long hair, and is an incredibly skilled swordsman.

Hatori: One of the three top musketeers. He is very mature and intelligent. He is the one who does "damage control" when Ayame and Shigure mess something up.

Saki and Arisa: Tohru's two ladies in waiting.

Princess Kisa: Tohru's little sister. She's in love with a young boy who isn't royalty or wealthy.

Duke Momiji: A young duke who is in love with the princess

Hiro: The son of a shop owner. He's not poor or rich. But he's in love with Kisa. They meet secretly.

Duchess Isuzu: A young duchess who is good friends with the Princess. She is a horse expert, and rider; and owns some of the best horses money can buy.

Lady Kagura: Lives with Isuzu. She is quite shy, but has a violent temper. She's friends with the princess as well.

Lord Ritsu: A young man who is a spaz. He's incredibly sensitive. He feels a little bit attracted to the Princess Tohru, but nothing ever comes of it. Especially when he meets a woman quite like himself.

Mitsuru: Shigure's maid. She gets tortured by her boss quite often

Mine: Ayame's wife. An incredibly talented seamstress. She runs a shop while her husband is working.

Kazuma: A musketeer who takes great interest in Kyo.

Lord Kakeru: An easygoing man who owns a lot of land. He becomes friends with Yuki.

Duchess Machi: Sister of Lord Kakeru. She's higher ranking than her brother, and is friends with the Princess, Isuzu, and Kagura.

Kureno: Lady Akito's assistant

(More characters to be announced later…if they come up.)

----

(Kyo's POV)

Chores were all we did at first. That's the only thing Lady Akito saw fit for us to be; cleaners for her home, and the uniforms of the musketeers. This is what we did for almost seven years. Everyday I wished that I could join them. Yuki and Haru did too; they just weren't as passionate about this as I was.

But we were poor orphans. Apparently "not fit" to be musketeers. I vowed years ago that I'd be one. I'd show them. I'd show them all.

I scrubbed the shoe in front of me furiously, trying to figure out how to impress Lady Akito so that we could be musketeers. Someway, somehow, I'd figure out a way. Working for that for three years didn't seem to help.

"Are you dreaming again?" Haru asked, throwing some clean trousers in a bag. These would have to be delivered to the musketeers later.

"So what if I am?" I snapped. "Leave me alone."

Yuki then joined the conversation. "So what's your latest evil scheme, stupid cat?"

"Don't have one! Leave me alone!" I turned back in irritation to finish my job. I wasn't in the mood to deal with them. I really wasn't

I looked out the window to see Lady Akito's three head musketeers: Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori. The three of them were very skilled, and kind…yet two of them were rather annoying. They often tried to convince Lady Akito to let them train us…but every time she'd tell them no. But…I kind of don't blame her…as strange as that sounds. I wouldn't want to say yes to two annoying, whining, beggars either.

The first one, Shigure, was the most cunning out of the three of them. Yet, at the same time, rather immature. He loved to tease people, and whined when he didn't get his way. The second, Ayame, gives me and Yuki a huge headache. We can't stand him! He's really pompous, and overly dramatic. He acts like he's a king or something. Although, he is the best swordsman out of the three of them. But I don't know how in the world he fights with such long hair. His hair is down to the floor! Hatori, the third one, is the most mature. He annoys me the less. He apparently used to be a doctor; but then decided for whatever reason to take this job.

"Here, Kyo. Once you're finished shining those shoes, this bag is ready for you so you can deliver these trousers," he said, tossing it at my head. Then, as a result, I dropped my bowl of shoeshine.

"Hey!" I exclaimed in anger, standing up. "Watch where you're throwing stuff!" I picked up my copy of the book, _The Canterbury Tales,_ and threw it at his head.

It bounced off of him, knocking a hot iron out of Yuki's hand…and on to his bare foot.

"AHHHHHHH!"

_Oops,_ I thought worriedly. I rushed over to make sure he was okay. I didn't like him much at all…but we had to stick together and look out for eachother…as much as it made me gag sometimes. But…I _did _feel kind of bad. I mean…who wants a hot iron on their foot?

"Hey, you okay? Sorry," I told him, kneeling down, looking at his foot.

"OW!" He cried, grabbing his foot. "Stupid!"

I sighed, and shook my head. We tried to get along, 'cause we had to; but we had so many issues like this that it made it even more difficult.

"That wasn't smart, Kyo," Haru said to me, picking up a bucket of water. He helped Yuki stand up, and make it over to a chair. Then his foot was stuck into the bucket.

"Oh yeah. Like you're one to talk. You're the one who threw the bag of trousers at my head!" I yelled at him. I stood up, slinging the bag over my shoulder.

As I walked out, Yuki sat glaring at me.

----

(Tohru's POV)

I stood in front of the mirror struggling to tie my corset. I desperately wanted to not be a burden on my two hard-working ladies in waiting. The least I could do was to tie and tighten it myself. There was just one problem…I really_ couldn't _tie it myself.

"Oh! Your highness!" Arisa exclaimed, rushing in. "Please, Tohru! Let me do it!"

Then, close behind her, Saki came in. "Mademoiselle, You're doing it again?" She sighed, and shook her head.

"I don't want to be a burden," I said truthfully. "You two do so much already!"

Arisa pulled the strings tightly on the corset. "Tohru, it's our job. Not only that, but we like helping you. You are our best friend, after all."

"Yes, she's right. You aren't a burden on us," Saki said, smiling at me. Then she walked over to the closet, opening it. "Which dress do you want to wear today?"

"The off-shoulder pink one with the rosettes in the skirt…um, if you don't mind," I told her.

Arisa helped me into the hoopskirt, and tied the strings tight to keep it up. Saki slipped the dress over my head, and buttoned it up in the back.

"Now, how shall we do your hair, mademoiselle?" Saki asked, picking up the brush.

I sat down in front of my vanity, and cocked my head. "I-I don't know. Would you like to decide?"

Then Saki began running the brush through my hair, seemingly lost in thought of how to style my hair.

Arisa knelt down and leaned up against the dresser on my vanity. She turned to look at me curiously. "So…have you decided whether or not to find a husband, yet?"

"Hm. I guess…I would. But I want it to be someone special. I really don't know who, though," I said sadly.

"What about Lord Momiji? Rumor has it, he has a thing for you," Arisa said slyly.

"Eh?" I felt my cheeks heat up. "Monsieur Momiji? He's very charming and handsome…but…I've thought about it. I just don't feel a connection like that to him. I want someone that…I feel very close to…and a lover." I felt my cheeks heat up even more.

"Hm. It would be nice to have both, huh?" Arisa said with a sigh.

"Yes, it would," I said, grinning at myself in the mirror. I wanted a man who would love me no matter what…not just because I was royalty. Someone strong, caring…handsome…protective…someone to laugh with, poke fun with…and always having fun. Someone to smile with.

But where was he? All of the men I've met so far…they're kind…but I don't see myself with them. Maybe I'm too picky…

It makes me sad to say that. I've considered just picking someone, anyone. The men in Parliament desperately wanted me to get married. They don't mind me being the sole ruler of France…they just don't like the fact that I'm single. On many occasions, it seems like many of them have flirted with me! There are so many kind young men that could make me happy…or want to…but could they?

"You've got the masquerade coming up, mademoiselle. Maybe you'll find someone there," Saki told me thoughtfully.

"Oui," I said with a nod. "I might."

Then, my little sister ran in to talk to me. "Sister?"

I turned my head some to greet her. "Kisa! Good morning! How are you?"

"I'm fine, sister. I just wanted to ask if it was alright if miss out on tea today. I'm meeting a friend somewhere," she said to me with a bow.

I smiled at her. "Okay. You have fun then, alright?"

Kisa curtsied, with a big grin. Her amber eyes glimmering. "Yes, sister! Thank you so much!" Then, she scampered out of the room happily.

Arisa laughed. "I wonder what she's so happy about?"

"I don't know," I said with a giggle. "But, I'm glad she's in a good mood."

----

(Kyo's POV)

I walked at a fast pace, the bag of trousers over my shoulder. _Man, this thing is heavy,_ I thought to myself.

What a day that started off to be. I burned Yuki's foot…I had to carry this bag of trousers…_and _it was very hot outside. Oh, the annoying summer. But little did I know that my luck was about to change.

I'll be honest, I've met very few women. Mainly Lady Akito and her rich friends. They're annoying. All they ever did was gossip. Though, through conversation I heard them talk about other women that seemed less annoying than they were. They talked a lot about the princess…who seemed to be an okay person. I sometimes wondered what it would be like to meet her.

I came to the fence of the castle gardens, the usual route I took. Nearby next to the gate, I saw a small item lying on the ground. I picked it up, and ran my fingers over the wood, and I flipped it open. A fan. A pink fan. If I were a girl, I'd hate to be without one on a day like this.

----

(Tohru's POV)

"Have you seen my fan?" I asked my Arisa and Saki, searching my sleeves, and pockets.

"I thought you had it in your hands a few minutes ago," Arisa asked, looking underneath the bench we were sitting on.

"You may have dropped it, mademoiselle," Saki told me, scanning the area.

I stared up at the top of my parasol. It wasn't helping much. The sun wasn't the problem, exactly. It was how humid it was. It might rain later in the day.

"I'll go look for it," I said, turning toward the gate. "I must have dropped it over there." My feet began to run toward it. But, I forgot how hard it was to run in skirts.

"Ah!" I tripped, my face hitting the grass.

"Hey!" I heard a male voice say. His feet came toward me, and I looked up at him. "Whoa. You okay?" He knelt down next to me, and helped me up.

I looked up into his eyes with surprise. They were so…beautiful. The most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They looked so much like the eyes on my cat. They were a deep amber…or was it copper? A little like my little sister's eyes. His hair was orange as well. He had a very nice looking face overall. He was a _very_ handsome young man.

He dusted off my face. "Seriously. You okay?"

"I-I guess," I replied, flustered. "Thank you."

----

(Kyo's POV)

Um…wow. You'd think a woman would know better than to run in such heavy skirts. But at that moment, I really didn't think about that. I was just shocked by how cute she was. I felt rather awkward thinking that. Was it wrong?

"Hey. Whoa. You okay?" I asked, helping her stand up. She looked up at me with large brown eyes. I reached up and dusted the dirt off her face. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"I guess. Thank you," she said, seeming embarrassed. "Thank you. Monsieur…?"

"Kyo," I told her, helping her stand up.

"Monsieur Kyo. Hm…um, ah! I seemed to have misplaced my fan. That's why I was running out here. I'm sorry to burden you," she gave a small curtsy.

I looked at her in surprise. "Burden? It's not really that big of a deal. Is this your fan?"

Her eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh! Yes! Thank you so much!" She took the fan, and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. "I don't have much to give you at the moment. I hope this and a kiss will suffice."

I felt my face heat up, as she handed me the pink cloth. "Er…" then she leaned in, kissing my cheek.

She looked at me, blushing bright red. "I have to get back to my Ladies in Waiting. They're probably wondering what happened to me. Goodbye!" Then, just like that she was gone.

"But…I don't know your name," I whispered in surprise at her quick run off.

I reached up and touched my face where she had kissed me. I hadn't expected that. I then looked down at the pink handkerchief she gave to me. I unfolded it, staring at the swirling floral embroidery. In a corner it was embroidered, "Tohru." For a minute there, I thought I was hallucinating; because according to the handkerchief…I had just met the princess.

----

a/n: I have been wanting to do this story for a while. I thought it would be neat to do a Fruits Basket version of the "Three Musketeers." I can't wait to see how the story turns out. But don't fret, readers of my other story, _Marmalade._ I will continue writing it. I just wanted to get this one started because it was driving me crazy. And no, I _**did not**_ get this idea from the new Barbie movie. Now, here it is. "Three Musketeers: Furuba Style!"


	2. Chapter 2

Three Musketeers: Furuba Style!

Chapter Two: The Masquerade

By Takara-Star-Chan

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. It belongs to Natsuki Takaya.

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

I walked hastily back to my Ladies' in waiting, face feeling hot. I could not believe that I had just met a very handsome, kind young man. I really hoped that I would see him again.

Arisa and Saki came forward to greet me.

"Did you get your fan?" Arisa asked of me.

I held it up, and smiled. "Yes! A young man found it for me!"

Saki smiled back. "That was kind of him. Was he handsome?"

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "Um, yes. He was very handsome."

"What's his name?" Arisa said, excitement showing in her face.

"He said that his name was Kyo," I told them. I put my hands behind my back, and began rocking on my heels. "I do hope I get to see him again."

Then, I felt water hit my arm. I looked up at the sky, noticing that a lot of clouds had accumulated over head. In the distance, we could hear thunder.

"Looks like there's a storm coming," Saki said. "We should probably head inside now."

We began to walk quickly back towards one of the entrances to the castle. As soon as we got in, it began to pour and thunder behind us.

-Curtains Up-

(Kyo's POV)

I tucked the handkerchief into my shirt and began to walk on. I was pretty shocked that I had actually met _her_. She seemed like a very nice girl, and I felt bad that I'd probably never get the chance to speak to her again. It may seem kind of stupid, but the few moments I had with her had an impact on me. Which was silly, because she was probably only trying to be kind. For all I knew, she didn't mean anything by giving me her handkerchief and a kiss on the cheek.

As I walked along, I heard thunder above my head; and soon after, it began to rain on me. It was coming down very hard, and I was getting soaked. I began to run, hoping that I would get to my first destination without my bag of trousers getting drenched as well.

The first stop was Ayame's house. Ayame, as I mentioned, is an incredibly skilled swordsman with long hair. He is flamboyant, and thinks the world worships the ground he walks on. I honestly don't see how his wife, Mine, puts up with him.

Their home is actually attached to their business. Mine is a tailor, and is very skilled at clothes-making. Ayame, rumor has it, has a knack for it too, but somehow decided to do his main work as a musketeer.

I finally made it to the shop, and ran in. I fell to my knees from exhaustion. I wasn't used to running that fast.

"Oh my! Monsieur Kyo!" Mine came over to me with a towel. "You're soaking wet! It's a good thing you came in. That weather is looking really nasty."

"No...kidding..." I said, trying to catch my breath. She helped me to my feet, and led me to a chair, throwing the towel over my head.

"You stay here until the storm is over. I'll go get you some tea." She then turned to the kitchen. I sat there, trying to dry my hair off. Mine was always very kind to me, Yuki and Haru.

I looked up to see what all she had been working on. The thing that caught my eye first was this poufy white gown with light blue beading and faerie wings on the back. I thought at first that it was some strange wedding gown. But, then I decided that it was more than likely for someone to wear to the upcoming masquerade. Wedding gowns, I'm sure (with as little as I know about them) don't come with wings and blue beadwork.

Mine came back in carrying a hot cup of tea, and handed it to me. "There you go! Now you won't catch cold!"

She smiled, adjusted her glasses, and turned back to the mannequin with the white dress, hemming it.

"So...what's that dress for?" I asked in curiosity.

Mine looked up. "Hm? Oh...this is actually for the princess to wear to the masquerade. She's one of our best customers."

"Really?" I felt my heart pick up pace. Why on earth was I thinking so much about a girl I'd just met? It made no sense to me. I guess it was because I wanted so badly to figure out if she actually cared to see me again. I had to find out.

Now, I had my chance. I knew exactly what the princess was wearing. Even with her wearing a mask, I'd be able to find her. She'd be able to spot me easily, I'm sure. There's not many guys running around with bright orange hair.

I wanted to give her something in return. I decided that I would get her a small gift to pay her back for the ones she gave me.

"Madame Mine?" I said, feeling awkward. But, I'm sure she'd know the answer to what I wanted to know.

"Yes?" She looked up from her work.

"Hm. When you...um...want to say thank you or something to a girl you might have some interest in, what kind of gift would be best to give her?" I felt my cheeks heat up. I wasn't used to this sort of conversation.

Mine looked up at me with wide eyes. Then she smiled. "Oh? Do you like someone, Kyo?"

"I-I don't know. I might. I'm not sure yet. I was just wondering." I took sip of tea, doing my best to act like it was no big deal. But, she saw right through my ruse.

She stood up, hands on her hips. "Tsk tsk. Kyo, quit acting like it's no big deal. As for a gift, the best one to maybe woo her, and say thank you, would a flower. Not a bouquet, but a single flower. A white rose would be best. Ones with color would be too forward. But a single white rose is nice enough to say that you're interested in her, and that you're thankful for something she's done. A very sweet gesture."

Then, the voice of nightmares sprang to my ears.

"Oh? Do my ears deceivest me? Is Kyon falling madly in love with a young woman? Such a wonderful thing is _romance_!"

I turned in my chair to see Ayame standing in the front of the store, grinning from ear to ear. Shigure was behind him, smiling as well.

"Ah, now now Ayame. We musn't embarrass the young lad," Shigure said wagging his finger. "He's probably flustered enough!"

I felt my body rise with anger. "Who made you the judge of emotions, huh?" I said to both of them; but mainly to Ayame.

"Well, you _were_ asking my lovely, dear wife for romantic advice! Rather strange since I'm available to aid you young men in the ways of wooing a woman!" Ayame said boldly.

Mine just smiled. "Well, I think he asked for my advice because I'm a woman myself, and I know what other women like...and the fact that you weren't here. He had to ask someone!"

Ayame walked over and put his arm around Mine. "'Tis true, my lovely wife. You are also quite suitable for him to ask advice from! One of the reasons I married you is your deep love and knowledge of romanticism! Not to mention how sweet and pretty you are!"

Mine giggled and blushed. "Why, thank you!" Ayame then leaned down and kissed her.

I stood there the feeling of awkwardness increasing. "Uh..."

Then, they stopped kissing, and turned to me. "Now, Kyon-Kichi, I must give you some advice: when you see this young woman again, don't let your feelings consume you so much you are a little too forward in your kissing! This is no way to win her heart. You must take it one step at a time. No sticking your tongue down her throat!"

I finally had enough. I growled in embarrassment, and pulled his trousers from the bag, and threw them at his head. "Just take the stupid trousers." _And shut your stupid mouth,_ I thought.

Ayame only laughed. "HA HA HA! I hope you find my advice useful!"

"Oh, I'm sure he will, Ayame," Shigure said, chuckling. "Your advice is always so helpful!"

I threw some trousers at Shigure. "You too."

I then turned to go out the door, leaving Ayame and Shigure to their own stupid antics. I began to walk down the street, the rainstorm having ended.

The stop there wasn't a total waste. I knew what she'd be wearing, as well as what to give her. I also got some advice I didn't even need, nor particularly want. _Thanks,_ Ayame for such _wonderfully_ helpful advice. It's not like I'm some creep that would actually do that to a girl. But now I wonder what kind of person Ayame was when he wasn't married.

Either way, I was glad to know what my next plan of attack was.

When I made it back home that night after my errands, Lady Akito was waiting to scold me about Yuki's foot; just like I figured she would.

"You stupid child!" she said, glaring at me. "Why do you let your temper go so easily? Yuki has a burned foot now thanks to your incompetence. Now he can't do most of his chores for a few days! Throwing things does not help anything."

_Yeah. _I thought. _Like you're one to talk._ Lady Akito had a reputation for having a horrible temper. She's thrown stuff at us numerous times.

"Yes, Lady Akito," I said with a sigh. "I will not throw things."

She crossed her arms. "You better. The three of you will not ruin my reputation. If word gets out that I can't even control a couple of teenage servant boys, people will start questioning my abilities even more about whether or not I can train a bunch of men to be musketeers. People already doubt me since I'm a woman." She turned away. "I'm warning you...if you three can't behave from now until the masquerade, you aren't going." Then she walked out the door.

"We've got to keep our arguing down until the masquerade. We won't be able to get out if we keep acting like this," Haru said stretching. "Not to mention, I won't get to meet any beautiful women if we get cooped up here that night."

Yuki grimaced. "Is that the ONLY reason you want to get out? To party and meet women? What about keeping our sanity?"

"Oh, come on, Yuki. You know you want to meet some girls. I bet you you'll meet a girl at the masquerade." Haru began to re-bandage Yuki's foot.

Yuki sighed. "Well, yeah, I'd like to. But, I mainly want to get out because I hate being stuck here so much."

"I think it might be better if you already meet someone before you go," I said, turning to them. "Takes the trouble away of having to mingle." I grimaced. I wasn't one for small talk.

Haru stared blank faced at me. "That's an odd statement. Well, not that odd seeing as you're not exactly the most social person there is. Did you meet someone?"

I felt my face heat up. "I never said that," I mumbled, turning to pick up and read some out of my book.

"I think you did," Haru said, standing up. "Tell us about her."

"Why should I?"

"Well, it's a big event. We never knew that you really had an interest in girls."

I shot an angry look at him. "What's THAT supposed to mean? Of _course_ I'm interested in girls! I just don't talk about it with you guys!"

"Haru does have a point, Kyo. You talk about girls less than any guy I've met," Yuki said to me.

I began to grumble a bunch of nonsense under my breath. I was trying so hard not to explode. So...they basically thought I wasn't a man because I didn't talk about girls that much? Was it really that weird?

Then, the doors opened. "Are you boys fighting again?" Kazuma, a friend of ours came in, pulling off his big hat with a feather. I call him 'shishou', though. He is one of the musketeers. People say his sword fighting rivals that of Ayame's.

"No, we aren't," Haru said calmly. "Just having a borderline heated discussion."

Shishou chuckled. "I see. Are you sure you just aren't trying to annoy Kyo again?"

Haru said nothing, and just stared blankly off into space.

"Hm. Well then, I think now would be a good time to back off, eh?" He smiled good naturedly. He ruffled my hair and said, "And how are you doing today?"

I gave him a small smile. "Okay, I guess."

He turned to Haru and Yuki. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a discussion with Kyo for a bit."

"Sure Shihan," Yuki said, standing up. He and Haru walked off into the bedroom.

I turned to Shishou, waiting for him to tell me what was going on.

"A couple of my fellow musketeers told me that you were having girl issues. I wanted to come and talk to you about it a bit if you don't mind."

I shook my head. Shishou was the only person I could talk to about anything. In a way, he's like the father I never had. "Yeah...I...think I met the princess today. I found something she lost, and she gave me one of her handkerchiefs and...um, a kiss." I felt my cheeks heat up again. I don't think I ever went through a day where I blushed as much as I did. I pulled out the handkerchief and handed it to him.

"She didn't tell me her name, but, it's embroidered on there."

He ran his fingers over the embroidery, studying it. "Hm. That's her name, all right. It probably was the princess, seeing as 'Tohru' isn't a common name. Which is strange, since she's in the position she's in." He smiled, and handed the handkerchief back to me.

"Should I...should I go to the masquerade and see her? Would it be worth it?" I asked, curiously.

He looked at me, considering. Then he nodded. "I don't see what it would hurt. I've met the princess quite a few times. She's definitely a very kind person. She's friendly with everyone, and remembers everyone she meets. I'm certain she'd be very excited to see you again."

I nodded back. "Okay then. I'll go to the masquerade and see her."

"Do you know what to bring to her as a gift? But as common courtesy, if you're interested in someone, it's always good to bring something," he told me. "Not anything big, but something simple."

"I was already planning on it. Madame Mine told me that a white rose would be good," I told him the information I had learned. "I also received some information from Ayame that I didn't particularly need." I grimaced in disgust.

Shishou let out a small chuckle. "Shigure told me about the whole thing. I know exactly what advice Ayame gave to you. And, I agree, it's not any advice you really need. You're not a bad kid."

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

-1 week later, Day of Masquerade-

There was one thing after another in the past week that I needed to attend to; but I kept thinking about the young man named Kyo that I had met. I had thought about him so much, that I had developed a crush on him. I could not get him out of my mind.

I had tried, of course, but to no avail. I was so distracted that I had forgotten of things that I needed to take care of. So, I decided that day I was going to go down to the church, and pray with my rosary that maybe I could at least see him once more to see if it would go anywhere. Either way, once I got closure, I could get back to focusing once again. I felt horrible for being such a burden on everyone.

I sat on my knees that morning at the altar, my hands gripping the beads tightly. I was praying so hard that I almost lost touch with everything around me. A few of the priests were chanting and walking around with incense, the scent from it filling the large cathedral.

Finally, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. "Tohru?" Saki's soft voice came into my ear. "I'm sorry to interrupt. We need to be heading back to the castle. We've been here for almost two hours. There is much to do today."

I said 'amen', and opened my eyes to look up at her. "Yes. I'm sorry. I think everything will be fine now." I slowly stood up, and we turned to walk out. Before we left, I turned to one of the priests with a small curtsy, and bid him good day.

We made our way back to the castle, and into my bedchambers, where Arisa was helping my little sister Kisa pick shoes to wear with her costume that night. She was going as a fall faerie, and I was going as a winter faerie. My seamstress, Mine, would be by probably any minute with my dress, as well as Kisa's dress.

I sat down in the seat next to Kisa, and looked to Arisa and Saki. "Have you both decided what you're going to be?"

Arisa picked up a peach colored pair of shoes. "I finally decided I'm going as a blue fish. I thought it'd make for a nice costume."

"I'm going as batman," Saki said, blank faced.

We all paused, looking at her very strangely. "B-bat-man?" I asked confusedly.

"You're not serious are you? What on earth is batman?" Arisa asked her, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not serious. Batman hasn't even been invented yet. But, I think in about 800 years or so years it will be. I am going as a bat, though."

"Who on earth would create something so strange sounding as a 'batman'?" Arisa sighed, shaking her head.

Saki shrugged. "I don't know."

Kisa giggled. "That would be a interesting sight to see!"

After we had figured out what shoes Kisa would wear, it was time for tea. But, Kisa had declined to stay with us for tea again. She wanted to meet up with a friend. I didn't mind though. It was good that she had made a friend. She was constantly cooped up in the castle.

I looked out the window as she walked through the gate. I saw her run towards a boy that looked to be about her age. She hugged him, and he gave her a small, quick kiss. Then, they held hands, and walked down the street.

My eyes widened in surprise. My dear sweet little sister...had a secret beau? I smiled as I watched them walk. I could tell by looking at him that he wasn't really wealthy. He didn't look poor though. A commoner, some would say. I try not to group people together like that though. I don't like to judge others based on social class. Though, I know quite a few that do. I just wish that maybe she had told me what was going on. But, I understood why she didn't. It could create an uproar among a lot of people if anyone found out about it. Many believed that love should be kept within their social status. But like my little sister, I didn't really care about that.

"Mademoiselle, what are you looking at? We must be getting down for tea," Saki said to me.

"Yeah. We don't want to keep the other three ladies waiting," Arisa said, opening the door. "You know how much two of them complain when we do."

I turned around. "I'm sorry. I was just watching Kisa leave with her friend. We can go now."

When we made it to the tea room we found, to our surprise, that our guests had not arrived yet. We sat down and began to wait. The first to arrive was Duchess Machi. She's very quiet and reserved, quite lady like. Our other two guests that were supposed to come was Lady Isuzu and Lady Akito. I was surprised that they both decided to come for tea. They both don't exactly get along that well. There's another...Lady Kagura who lives with Lady Isuzu, but, unfortunately, Lady Kagura had other business to attend to.

Then, we heard them coming.

"Why do you have to act like this _every _time we see each other? Seriously, who made you the queen over everyone?" We heard Isuzu say angrily.

"Shut up! At least I don't walk around looking like a harlot with my bosoms hanging out!" Akito yelled back.

"You are so full of it! I can't exactly help it! The way dresses are made these days along with the corsets don't exactly make it easy to be completely covered up...especially with someone like me!"

"You're wealthy, are you not? I'm sure you could find a way! It's no wonder you can't find a man."

"Oh, that's rich, coming from _you_," Isuzu said. I looked over, and I could see her rolling her eyes. "When was the last time you actually had a beau? I'm more likely to get one than you are...you're always screaming at people."

"Ha! You don't exactly have the best temperament either."

Isuzu stopped, glaring at her. "At least I don't throw things at people! You need more mental help than I do!"

This finally was the last straw for Lady Akito. She raised her hand and struck Isuzu across the face.

I stood up, and ran over to them. "P-please no fighting!"

Isuzu slowly looked up at Akito, and glared at her. She then turned to me. "I'm sorry, your highness."

Akito turned to me as well. "Yes, my apologies your highness."

"Can we...move on from this and adjourn to tea?" I asked in concern.

"Certainly, my princess," Akito said walking forward toward the tearoom. I wasn't sure, but she seemed to have a mocking edge to her voice, but I just decided to ignore it. She was probably still irritated with Lady Isuzu.

Isuzu turned to me. "I should have never decided to walk over here with her." Then we proceeded to walk into the tearoom.

Tea went well, I should guess. It got a little awkward at times because of the tension between Lady Akito and Lady Isuzu. Duchess Machi couldn't get a word in at all because of the bantering between the two of them. I felt really sad that she was left out of conversation. I also felt sad that Akito and Isuzu have such tight tensions between them.

After it was over, it was time to go get ready for the masquerade. Lady Isuzu and Duchess Machi decided to leave together, and Akito was on her own. As she was leaving, she turned to me and said, "Pardon me, your highness...but you should do well to be careful about who you pledge your loyalties. Some people aren't good company to keep." I kind of got the feeling that she was talking about Isuzu.

Before I could say anything, Arisa stepped in. "Excuse me, Lady Akito...but you have no right to talk to her like that. She is perfectly well capable of deciding who to pledge her loyalties to, as well as her friendships. She is your princess, and you'll do well to show her the proper respect." She glared at Akito threateningly.

"A-Arisa...really...it's o-kay..." I said, trying to get her to calm down.

Arisa shook her head. "No, no it's not. Who you choose as friends is your decision. Not hers."

Akito's face turned into and angry snarl. "Excuse me, but do you have any idea who you're talking to, _wench?_"

"Yes, I certainly do. And I'll have you know that I'm of higher rank than you are." Arisa stepped forward, looking Akito dead in the eye. "Saki and I are not only Tohru's ladies-in-waiting, but we're also her best friends. We answer to her and look out for her on a daily basis. If we feel her authority, and physical or emotional well-being is being threatened, we _will _step in and do something. If we tell the parliament or law enforcement that something is going on, something will be done about you; and we'll find a way to handle you...and you won't like it."

The look on Akito's face didn't falter. She spoke through gritted teeth. "Well, then you should realize that I'm head of the best law enforcement organization in all of France! I would have a case!"

"Well then, that leaves parliament, doesn't it? It's our word against yours," Saki piped in.

Akito's face suddenly dropped. She had a glare on her face, but said nothing. Then, she turned, and stomped down the hallway.

Arisa sighed heavily. "The woman has got some serious issues."

"No doubt, Arisa," Saki agreed.

I stood there in shock, not really sure what to say. I don't like people arguing, and I do my best to avoid it. I honestly don't know what I could have said to make the situation any better.

-Curtains Up-

(Five hours later, 4:00 pm)

I sat in front of the vanity mirror as Saki rolled my hair up into a bunch of long curls. I was nervous about the ball, and if I would see that young man. I really did hope I saw him tonight.

"Ugh. Where on earth is Madame Mine?" Arisa exclaimed. "She needs to bring those dresses in."

Saki sighed. "Calm down Arisa. I'm sure She'll have a good explanation. Mine has never been late before. We should be worrying about where Princess Kisa is."

"Hm. That's true. I wonder where she is?" I said in curiosity.

Then, all of the sudden she burst in, huffing and puffing. "I...I'm sorry...I'm l-late..." There was sweat dripping from her face.

Arisa suddenly grabbed a towel, and rushed over to wipe off her face. "Goodness, Kisa! Were you running?"

"Uh-huh," she said nodding. "I kind of...got caught up and didn't realize what time it was. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Kisa," I said, looking over at her. "You didn't mean to. I'm sure you were having fun with your friend."

Kisa's cheeks became even more red than they already were. "Y-yes. I certainly did. I had lots of fun today."

"That's good," Saki said, smiling. "I'm glad that you were able to get out for a while."

Then, Madame Mine came in in a huff this time as well. "I am so sorry, your highness! I just had one order after another and-"

I stood up, and smiled. "It's okay, Madame Mine. Really, it's just fine. We all figured you were really busy."

Mine calmed down, and looked at me in surprise. "Oh...thank you so much your highness! Such kindness I do not deserve today!" she curtsied. "I really do feel bad that I didn't get these dresses in sooner today." She set the bag down on the floor, and opened it, pulling out Kisa's costume first. It was a deep rich purple velvet, and orange silk accents. There were beautiful gold buttons going up the back, and a large bow under the last button. Orange faerie wings came out of the back.

Then, she pulled out Arisa's dress. It was a a dark green-blue silk with siliver embroidery all the way through to look like fish scales. Saki's dress was a black lace and silk ball gown with bat wings connected to the sleeves and skirt.

Then, Mine pulled out my white ball gown with light blue faerie wings and blue beading. It looked similar to Kisa's dress, only it was poufier, made of white silk, and had silver buttons rather than gold. Every one couldn't believe their eyes.

"Madame Mine!" I said, running my fingers over the beautiful silk gown. "You really out did yourself! I had no clue it would be this beautiful! All of the costumes are simply stunning!"

Mine bowed happily. "Yay! I'm so glad you like them all! You four will look so stunning tonight!"

"All thanks to you," I said giving Mine a bow. "You are so very talented!"

The four of us slipped into our dresses, and put on our masks. My mask was white and silver, shaped like a butterfly. Arisa and Saki's masks were of the same colors as their dress. Kisa's was the same as mine, only purple and gold.

I couldn't believe it as I looked into the mirror. We had the masquerade every year...but, none of us had ever worn anything this beautiful to it. We all looked really wonderful. I was very excited to be sharing this night with my three favorite ladies in the whole wide world.

Then my thoughts jumped back...I also hoped I could share it with that young man named Kyo.

I still couldn't believe that I hadn't stopped thinking about him. Tonight would be the night I figured out whether or not I could pursue him any further. We would see.

-Curtains Up-

(Kyo's POV)

As we made our way into the castle for the masquerade, I was quite surprised by the number of people. There seemed to be more this year than the year before. I adjusted my black mask to make sure it was straight. I had dressed up as a pirate. It may sound stupid, but I had a hard time deciding on a costume. So, that's what I finally decided on at the last second.

I turned back to Haru who was dressed as a jester. I gave him a death glare. "Haru...I'm serious. If you drink too much, or get into another fight, I will punch your lights out when we get home, got it?"

Yuki agreed. "Yes, Haru, don't make a fool of yourself. I really don't want to bail you out of another situation and get thrown out." Yuki was dressed as a Lord, or something. I'm not exactly sure what he was.

Haru only stared at me blankly, and nodded. I sighed, and turned off to go find the princess. I gripped the rose tightly in my hand that I would give to her. I hoped she would accept it.

I began my search in the ballroom, where I assumed she'd be. Unfortunately, she wasn't there. I began to rack my brains again, trying to think of where on earth she might be.

I turned to leave, but then felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Well, hello there, Monsieur," a woman's voice said.

I turned to see a woman in a blue peacock costume. Her mask and dress were a deep blue, and she had dark brown hair.

"H-hello," I said with a nod. "Look, I really can't talk right now, I-"

She cut me off. "You're saying you can't spare one measly little moment to dance with me? A Lady?"

I shook my head. "No, really...I'm here to see someone else."

The girl stuck her lip out. "Well, that's too bad. All the good gentleman are taken tonight. What's your name?"

"Kyo," I told her hurriedly.

"Well, Monsieur Kyo, I'm lady Kagura. And I would really like it if you would dance with me for a few minutes at least," She said flirtatiously.

Unlike some guys, I'm immune to flirtatious advances. Unless it's a girl I'd be interested in, I could honestly care less. And this was one girl I really had no interest in.

"I really can't. I have this rose I have to take to someone," I said, showing it to her.

She frowned. "Fine. Obviously, there's no one here interested in me anyway." She turned away sadly.

"Wha? Wait a second..." I felt a twinge of guilt ignite in me. I wasn't trying to hurt her feelings...

"Why...why won't...ANYONE DANCE WITH ME?" She got this enraged look look on her face, and all of the sudden grabbed one of my arms and pushed me to the floor, bending one of my arms behind my back. I was so shocked then that I couldn't do anything. I mean...this was a girl. I couldn't fight back!

"OW!" I exclaimed in pain. "Lemme go! Lemme go!"

Then, someone pulled her off of me. "Honestly, Kagura, get a _grip_! It is not the end of the world if someone doesn't want to dance with you!"

"Oh...um..." Kagura stared down at me. "I'm sorry...I just...got carried away." Then she began to cry. "I feel so lonely tonight, Rin!"

The other woman helped me stand up. She was wearing a scarlet red dress and mask. She had long black hair. She began to talk coldly to Lady Kagura. "Obviously. Look, there are plenty of guys still here to dance with. Go find one, Kagura."

Lady Kagura frowned. "Fine." She said, then she walked off.

"Please excuse her. She gets overly emotional about things. I'm Lady Isuzu by the way. Are you looking for someone?" She asked me.

"Uh...yeah. I'm looking for a girl I met recently. I'll just go finish looking for her," I said, turning, and rubbing my arm.

"Okay, well, I hope you find whoever you're looking for," she murmured.

I nodded, and turned off down the hallway. Lots of people everywhere. I kind of had a hard time getting through it was so crowded. Normally, I'd avoid the big crowds. Finally it hit me. She could very well be in the gardens. I decided I would check there.

When I made it to the gardens, I noticed that there were quite a few people out there too. Lots of people, especially couples walking around. Finally, I found a group of women standing around talking. One of them was wearing the same dress I saw in Mine's shop.

I made my way over carefully, and made it over to their group. Man, my heart was pounding so hard. I never felt so nervous before. When she finally saw me, I saw her eyes light up through her mask, and a huge grin spread across her face.

"Monsieur Kyo!" She said excitedly, coming over to me. "What a wonderful surprise! How are you?"

"I-I'm okay," I said, trying to give her a small smile back. I was a little surprised at her reaction from seeing me.

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

I was so very excited to see him again. I knew it was him because of his orange hair.

"Are you having a good time?" I asked him, trying to make conversation.

"I guess. I just got here over ten minutes ago," he told me. "Good as can be expected." Then he pulled out a white rose from behind his back. "I...got this for you." His face became a bright pink. "I...got this to repay you for the gifts you gave me. Also to say that I was...glad to meet you."

I was sure my cheeks flushed too. "Oh..." I stared that the beautiful white rose that he came to give me. I really wasn't expecting a gift back from him. That was...so nice! That meant...he had to have some interest in me...didn't it?

I took the rose from him, then closed my eyes, and pressed it up to my nose. Then I opened them, and looked at Kyo. "Thank you. It's really beautiful!"

"So, uh, you like it?"

"No! Why would it be? This is even better than the gift I gave you, I think," I told him, running my fingers over the petals.

"Well then," he said, smiling a little. "I guess we're even."

I blushed again. "Okay."

Then, we began to take a walk through the garden.

-Curtains Up-

(Kyo's POV)

I was really glad that she liked the rose. After I'd given it to her, we began to take a walk, and talk.

"...So, you're a servant for Lady Akito? Do you enjoy it?" She asked me in curiosity.

I grimaced a bit. "I don't really like living there. But, it's a place to stay, you know? Haru, Yuki, and I are orphans. We met up when we were younger on the streets. Then, three of Akito's Musketeers convinced her to take us in. She did because she thought maybe we'd be useful to her one day. But, she hasn't started training us yet because she thinks that we're too immature to ever be worth anything."

She got a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry. It's your dream to be a musketeer, isn't it?"

"Yes," I replied, becoming filled with determination. "I want to be one more than anything!"

She smiled at me. "I hope it happens for you. I think you're a really great person, Monsieur Kyo. I think you and your friends should be musketeers."

I sighed. "I'm not entirely sure that will happen. Lady Akito is stubborn. A few of the musketeers have tried to convince her to let him train us, but, it never works."

Tohru looked at me with understanding. "I...can kind of understand where she'd be stubborn. I'm around her a lot, and...she...has a tendency to get easily angered. It's rather sad to me. I really don't quite know why that is."

"You know, I don't really know either...and we've been living at her house for over seven years," I said to her, crossing my arms.

"I guess we'll never really know," Tohru told me. "Do you ever get out to just relax or have fun?"

"Not really. We don't really do much to get out because Akito assigns so many chores for us. We got to get out tonight because it's a big event that everyone's invited too...and I don't think she wanted the three of us at home alone without the other servants there. She thought it would be too much trouble, I think."

Her face became sad. "Do you three argue a lot? Get into fights?"

"Yeah. We do. When you live with two people who are completely different from you, you're more than likely to butt heads. But we stick together because we don't really have anyone else to rely on. We can't really leave Lady Akito either...because she's our key to possible success one day."

She looked at me, face full of curiosity. "A-are you certain about that?"

I looked over at her, considering her words. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to say. "I don't know."

I've thought about other options I might have. I'm sure that if I, or any of of wanted to, we could leave Lady Akito and go stay with one of the other musketeers. Ayame wouldn't mind, but he would annoy the living daylights out of me. Shigure wouldn't mind either, but it still wouldn't be the most favorable of conditions. Hatori would probably let us, but I'm not sure he'd be particularly thrilled. Our best option for if we wanted to leave would be to stay with Shishou. He's offered a few times...but, would it hinder my dream of being what I really wanted to be...a musketeer?

Maybe staying with Lady Akito was hindering me. She always would refuse training us. If I decided to live with Shishou, I could get training, and then he could go to Lady Akito and show her what I'm able to do. Then again, if I leave, she would probably be furious if we left, and would never let us be one know matter how much we wanted to be musketeers.

It was something I needed to think about.

Then, all of the sudden from behind me, I heard the sounds of yelling. We both turned to see what it was. When I saw, I felt anger rise up in me.

It was Haru, doing exactly what we told him not to do. He was obviously drunk, liquor bottle in hand, and his arms linked around two women's waists. They were laughing, shouting nonsense, and stumbling around.

"Haru..." I groaned in irritation.

"Eh?" Tohru's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that one of your friends?"

I wanted to say 'no', but lying to the princess is not something I wanted to do. "I wish I could say no." I told her, crossing my arms. "He's doing exactly what we told him not to do!" I was feeling a definite mix of anger, and embarrassment.

Tohru stared, her face quizzical about the situation. "Is he...d-drunk?"

"Yes, I think so," I said, covering my face.

I could still hear Haru, acting like a huge moron. Oh, in the morning, hangover or no hangover, he was going to get _it. _Tonight, I didn't want to stick up for him. He brought this upon himself, and Yuki and I were sick of covering for him whenever he got in trouble.

I looked up. "I think...someone needs to escort him back home."

Tohru gave me a sad look. "I guess you have to leave, then."

I looked at her. I'm sure disappointment was showing on my face. "Yeah. I'm really sorry." I was about to turn away, but then I turned back. "If you don't want to meet up with me again after this, I'll understand. But, I'm not like Haru. I don't drink or anything."

She gave me a small smile. "I know. I didn't think you did. I don't know you that well, but so far, I think you're a really great person."

I blushed, and turned away. "I'm really not that great a person...," I murmured.

She laughed a little. "So, do you want to meet again?"

I looked up at her. "Sure."

"How you meet me tomorrow at three here in the gardens?" She said, smiling.

I smiled back. "Yeah. I'll be here." Even if I had to sneak out, I'd be there.

"I'm glad." She said. "I'll see you then."

I nodded to her, feeling kind of sad that I had to leave. But, I tried not to show it.

I made my way over to Haru, grabbing him by the shirt. He was talking to the woman in the red dress I had met earlier. Lady Isuzu, I think it was.

"Time to go Haru," said through gritted teeth, pulling him away.

"Excuse me," the woman said. "What do you think you're doing?"

I gave her an irritated look. "He's drunk, and this isn't the best place for him to be."

"Aw, lighten up Kyo!" Haru said, his breath hitting my face. I almost gagged.

"No, we're going," I said, continuing to pull him. "He doesn't need to be here right now."

Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, and it was Shishou. "Let me handle this Kyo."

I let go of Haru's shirt, and Shishou took over. "Haru, lets go. Now."

Haru looked up at him. "Uh, yes..." He nodded, starting to stumble forward. I caught him, putting his arm over my shoulder.

"Why do you have to do this every time, Haru?"

"Why can't... yoooou lighten uuuup?" He said to me, speech slurred.

"Now, Haru, Kyo is right. It' s not right to ruin everyone else's night by doing things you know you shouldn't be doing." Then he turned to Lady Isuzu, and took off his hat, bowing. "My apologies, Lady Isuzu. You must understand though that we must regrettably take him home."

She sighed in irritation. "Fine. Whatever. Have a good night, Monsieur Haru."

"You toooo," he said.

Then, we turned off, helping Haru walk. This night ended the way all the other times at events like this have.

I'm just glad that Tohru wanted to see me again.

A/N: I apologize for taking so long to do this chapter. I will continue doing _Marmalade _as well. I know that in the summary I said I was going to do some editing on it, but I changed my mind and decided to leave it as is, and continue the story. I realized I didn't do as bad as I had originally thought I done.

I realized it was probably a good thing that I stepped back and took a break from writing fan fiction. It helped my head fill up with more ideas for my stories. I just feel bad I took so long!

Anyway, I'd like to thank my readers for their patience while I took so long to complete this chapter and to start working on my other one again! It was much appreciated!

3, and God Bless,

Takara-Star-Chan


	3. Chapter 3

Three Musketeers: Furuba Style!

Chapter 3: And So Begins the Mystery...

By Takara-Star-Chan

A/N: I do not own Fruits Basket. It belongs to Natsuki Takaya.

-Curtains Up-

We carried Haru to Shishou's house. When we walked into the house we set him down on a chair in the sitting room.

"Niiiiice hooouse," Haru said, flopping over the side of the chair.

Shishou aturned to light a candle. "Thank you," he said with a small chuckle. "But it would definitely be a lot nicer if there was a woman here."

I looked at Haru feeling quite angry. He was hanging all over the chair, moving very strangely. I was so angry that he went and got himself drunk, and that he was now acting like this. I gritted my teeth and turned to Shishou. "I _seriously _want to punch him!"

He turned to me, shaking his head. "No, Kyo. You can't just hit everyone that annoys you. When you're a musketeer, you have to constantly be thinking on your feet of what the right course of action would be for every situation. In this case, the correct course of action would be to move him to a bed, and lay him on his side. Then try to find a bucket for him to vomit in if need be."

Haru sat up. "IIIII don't n-neeed to puuuuke."

"Not now," Shishou said, lighting another candle. "But you will."

"Noooope," Haru replied adamantly. He crossed his arms.

Shishou walked over, and picked him up by the back of his shirt, and slung him over his shoulder. "I promise, you will." Then I followed him into one of the bedrooms, and he laid Haru down on his side. "Stay here, Haru."

"IIII don't waaant to."

"Well, you're going to, Haru," I said to him angrily. "You should have thought about that before you decided to ruin our night."

Haru said nothing, and just stared at the wall. Then, he began to hum softly, and we decided to leave and let him try to fall asleep.

"Thanks, Shishou," I said when we came out. "I just wish Haru wouldn't have ruined everything."

"You're welcome," he said, a sympathetic look on his face. "Well, did you make plans to meet her again?"

I nodded to him. "Yeah. I told her that I would meet her at three tomorrow. I'll probably have to sneak out, though."

He chuckled. "I figured that's what it would have had to come to. Make sure you figure out a way to do so."

I paused in thought for a moment, thinking.

"I've got a way," I said. "Yuki was supposed to deliver some swords we shined and sharpened. But, uh, I accidentally burned his foot . He's not able to walk long distances. Haru will most likely be hungover tomorrow, so, I guess the job falls on me."

"Sounds like a plan, Kyo," Shishou said to me, smiling. Then he got an expression as if something dawned on him. "Speaking of Yuki, I think we left him at the Masquerade."

"I think we did," I said with a sigh. "But...it's fine. I hate to admit it, but he's been better behaved than Haru and I both, and has been dying to get out. I think he almost went crazy being stuck there at Lady Akito's house. I don't blame him. It's going to be about a week before he can get out and do stuff...so, we won't bother 'im."

"Yes, I agree." Shishou laid his hat down on a table. "Are you hungry? I've got some fresh bread in here from the bakery down the street. I'm sure you'd like something a little more than what Akito feeds you, I'm sure."

I nodded, my stomach growling. "I would love some real food."

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

It made me very sad to see Kyo go, but he had a duty to get his friend to another place. He could have stayed, and just let someone else take care of that young man, but, he didn't. That showed to me, that even when someone was in the wrong, he was very loyal. Sometimes, someone might just ignore their friend in need-especially when the friend did something to bring it upon themselves. Kyo didn't do that though.

Even though he probably wanted to just leave his friend alone, he didn't.

I smiled to myself as I saw them leave. I could tell that he was definitely a very good person.

"Your highness?" Saki came over to me. "Did he leave?"

I nodded. "He...had some unexpected business to attend to. He didn't want to leave, but it was an emergency."

"I'm sorry," she said sadly. "Are you two going to meet again?"

I nodded to her, smiling. "Yes. I'm meeting him tomorrow at three here in the gardens."

"That'll be nice," Arisa added in. "We better make you look really pretty tomorrow. You have your first date!"

I blushed. My first date...tomorrow. But...was it really? We hadn't actually officially established a courtship yet. "Um...Okay."

Then, I heard a sword come out of it's sheath from behind me. I turned around to see a man in black beginning to come at me with a sword. I screamed, and began to run as fast as I could in these skirts.

"Tohru!" Arisa yelled after me. She came running to try to help me, as well as Saki.

My thoughts suddenly went to Kisa. If someone was after me, there was a good chance that , somewhere, elsewhere in the castle, they were after her too.

I looked back, the man was gaining on me. I couldn't see his face, he had on a mask. He wore all black.

I turned back forward, swallowing hard. I was just going to focus on running. If I died, I died. I just needed to focus on running. I decided that I would not look back.

Then, I heard someone else pull out another sword.

I turned to see Lord Momiji. He was sword fighting with the man in black. It was rather surprising to see, because Momiji is normally so peaceful, and kindhearted. But all Lords had to master sword fighting. And he was no exception.

"You don't treat a Lady like that!" Momiji exclaimed. "Especially the one who's your princess!"

The man in black just grunted, and said nothing.

Their swords clanked together, until finally, Momiji made a slash through the man's arm. Then he flinched, then ran off. Momiji then rushed over to me, taking my hands. "Are you okay, your Highness? Any scratches? Any bruises? Your dress isn't torn any, is it?"

"No, I'm fine, Monsieur Momiji. Thank you very much," I said, relief washing over me. My heart was racing from fright. That was...so strange. Why did that man just randomly start coming after me?

He reached up to touch my face. "Why was he coming after you, Tohru?"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "I-I don't know. He just started coming after me with his sword."

He sighed, as if relieved that I was okay. "I'm sorry he scared you like that. It was probably just some wacko playing a prank...or something."

"I hope it was just a prank," I said worriedly. "When I was running, I instantly began to worry about Kisa. If someone was trying to assassinate us, they'd go after her too."

He nodded. "That's true. We'd better go and make sure that she's okay." He took me by the hand, and led me back into the gardens. There was a lot of commotion going on after that incident.

"Are you okay, your highness?" Arisa said worriedly, grabbing my shoulders. "Where'd that bozo go? I'll...I'll..."

"Arisa, calm down," Saki said calmly. "She looks fine. We can deal with the bozo later."

Arisa let go of my shoulders, and relaxed some.

"Monsieur Momiji saved my life," I said, smiling at him. "Thank you again!"

"Don't thank me," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sure our entire nation would be in total heartache if our Princess was murdered. You're very much loved." He squeezed my hand.

I wasn't quite sure what to say. The way he was looking at me...it was as if he were saying to me 'I love you, also.'

He let go of my hand, and began to look around at all the people. They were all standing around trying to make sure I was okay. All of the sudden, Lady Kagura came running up to me.

"Princess! Your sister...she's been stabbed! Come quickly!"

"What?" My eyes widened in shock. So it was true. So...we _were_ victims of attempted murder.

Lady Kagura began pulling me back into the castle, Arisa, Saki and Momiji close behind. We made our way into the ballroom, a crowd of people standing on the far side. Arisa then came up ahead of us to move people out of the way.

"Move it! Princess Tohru coming through!" she said, loudly.

Everyone cleared a path to let us see Kisa. There was a young boy sitting next to her in a navy officer uniform, and navy blue mask. There were tears in his eyes. When he saw us, he turned to me, head bowed low.

"I-I'm sorry, your highness! I tried to keep her from getting hurt...but it didn't work! I'm so sorry!"

I stared down in surprise at the young man. He was the one who I saw kiss Kisa earlier in the day. I knelt down, and touched his head. "It's not your fault. I thank you for trying though. It must have taken a lot of guts to stand up to a skilled swordsman."

He looked up at me, and I gave him a sad smile.

I then turned to Kisa. There was large bloodstain on the side of her dress, and she was whimpering softly. It almost seemed as if she were out of it. She lost a significant amount of blood, but it didn't seem enough to kill her. I examined carefully where she had been stabbed. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be a deep wound at all.

I looked up at my three friends behind me. "Someone please go one of our nurses, and tell them to go to our bedchambers." Then I turned to the young boy. "Would you carry her for me, please? What is your name?"

"Hiro," he replied softly. Then he bit his lip, stood up. He leaned over and picked up Kisa, holding her bridal style.

On our way out of the ballroom, I turned to the guards, curtsying. "Good sirs, please tell everyone that we will not be continuing the festivities tonight, and give them our apologies. We will make up for it another time."

The guard nodded to me, and bowed back. "Yes, my princess. It will done, just as you said."

"Thank you very much!" Then, we turned and walked back down the hall.

-Curtains Up-

(Kyo's POV)

I had fallen asleep at Shishou's house. Lady Akito would most likely be sleeping into all hours of the day. She normally did whenever she went out to a party or ball of some sort. So, I didn't worry about her not knowing that I wasn't at home.

I didn't sleep long that night, because I heard a knock at the door. The knock was loud, and hard. I sat up, and stumbled groggily over to the door, and unlocked it. When I opened it, it was Hatori.

"Hm. What are you doing here, Kyo?" He asked as soon as he saw me.

I stared at him, sleepily. "I..." I yawned, loudly. "Haru got drunk tonight at the ball, and got himself kicked out. So we had to leave early. Shishou brought both of us here. I'm not sure where Yuki is though." I leaned against the doorpost. "What are you doing here this late anyway?"

Hatori stepped forward. "May I come in?"

I stepped back and motioned for him to come inside. Once inside, I shut the door, and he took off his hat.

"I need to speak to Kazuma. It's imperative that I speak to him right away."

"What happened?" I asked in my sleepy stupor.

"I'll tell you once you get Kazuma in here," He said coolly.

I huffed in irritation. "Fine." I then marched off to another room where he was sleeping. I walked over and shook him awake.

"Wah?" He said, sitting up. "Kyo...what are you doing? What time is it?"

"Hatori is here. He says it's an emergency."

He looked at me in surprise. "It must be serious then. They never contact us at this time unless it's for something serious."

Shishou seemed to pull the blanket off and stand up, all in one fluid movement. Then, we walked back into the living room.

"Hatori," Shishou said with a nod to him. "How are you?"

"Okay, I guess," Hatori replied quietly. "But...let's get down to business." He looked at Shishou intently. "The princesses were both attacked tonight at the palace. It seems that it was an attempted assassination."

I stopped, I'm certain that there was a look of surprise on my face. "...Are they hurt?"

Hatori then gave me a look of curiosity, as if it showed on my face that I was upset. Then he said, "Kisa got stabbed in the side, but it wasn't a serious injury. The doctor that saw her said that she would be fine. Tohru just got traumatized when someone began to chase her out of the gardens. Lord Momiji had stepped in and saved her life."

I felt a twinge of anger come up inside of me. I found it rather strange though; I think that I felt kind of jealous. I kind of wished that I had been there to save her. I knew who Lord Momiji was. He'd come over to Lady Akito's house sometimes for business. He was a very nice person, but, he had a tendency to get a little hyper. That's not something I have patience for. Then, I'd hear some of Lady Akito's friend's talk about him. He was quite popular with women. They'd always talk about how amazing and charming he was. They'd also talk about how they thought for sure that he'd eventually end up marrying the princess.

Ha. We'd see about that.

But, I quickly shook off that feeling the best I could, and reminded myself to be careful and not get ahead of myself. It wouldn't be good for me to get emotionally attached so quick. This was the first girl to actually show interest in me(Well, mainly because I really don't get out much. So I'm not sure how they'd react to me to begin with). I did just meet Tohru, and hopefully we would have our first "date" tomorrow in the gardens. Well, I'd still go to see her. If she didn't show up, I'd understand. The night's events might make it hard to for her to come see me.

Hatori continued, "The princess has asked that we come to the castle tonight to aid the the guards tonight."

"Where is Lady Akito?" Shishou asked him.

Hatori sighed, a hint of irritation showing. "She went home and went to bed. Before she left the castle, she asked me to gather everyone."

I looked up at Shishou, his face looked slightly irritated. "Well, then, I'll go get ready to go."

Lady Akito had a tendency to do stuff like this. When she was needed, she'd put all the work onto her musketeers. She lazed back and did nothing...unless she had to train some newcomers. She was a very skilled sword fighter...she definitely did not get the position she was in by luck. Well, sort of. Her father was the head musketeers. He didn't have any sons, so the duty fell on Lady Akito; but she had to prove herself.

When Shishou came out, he and Hatori started to leave.

"Hey..." I said before they were able to walk out. "What am I supposed to do?"

Shishou turned to me. "I think it would be best for you to stay here with Haru until tomorrow morning."

I let out a groan in irritation. "Fine. I'll stay here."

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

The night seemed to go by very slowly. It was definitely excruciating sitting next to my little sister as her breathing seemed so pained. I couldn't even begin to understand what she was royal doctor had come in to see her, and, he said she would be fine; she would just be in a lot of pain for a while. At about 2 a.m., we had a visit. Arisa came into the room, the three head musketeers filed in behind her.

"Tohru, the three head musketeers are here to see you," she said, presenting them.

I stood up, and walked toward them, the three of them removing their hats, and bowing.

"Good evening, your highness," Hatori said to me. He stood back up, and looked at me seriously. "Are you and Princess Kisa alright, considering?"

I sighed, and gave a strained nod. "Considering, yes. Kisa is going to be alright, she's just in pain. I'm still kind of shaken up."

"We'd be surprised if you weren't, you're highness. But we're glad she will be okay," Shigure said with a nod.

I then realized that there was someone missing. "Um...where's Lady Akito?" I asked in curiosity.

"Alas, my fair Princess, she is at home sleeping," Ayame told me.

I heard Arisa snort behind me. "Well, that's just great. The lazy woman..."

"Uh...er...I'm sure she must be tired from the masquerade!" I said trying to prevent conflict. But, it didn't work.

"Oh, come on. You two get attacked tonight, and the leader of the law enforcement isn't here? That's just laziness!" Arisa crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. Then she sighed. "I mean...why would she put her sleep before your safety, Tohru?" Suddenly she got a strange look on her face, as if she realized or remembered something.

"Um, please excuse me," she said, rushing out of the room.

I stared at her in surprise, wondering what she was doing. "Um...I'm sorry...she's just worried about me, I think."

Shigure shook his head. "No, I agree with her. Don't mean to talk bad about our boss, but, she is kind of lazy, and I do think she should be here."

Ayame nodded. "Yes, but, that is not why we came up here. Dearest Princess Tohru, we just wanted to ask if you might need body guards."

I looked at him in surprise. "Body guards?"

"Yes," Hatori said to me. "Since there's a assassin on the loose, it might be good to have a group of men with you at all times."

Saki, who had been tending to Kisa behind me, came forward. "I think that's a marvelous idea."

I sat and thought about that for a moment. "Okay. Did you three want to be my body guards?"

"Well, that depends. We'll have to discuss it with Lady Akito first. I'm sure she'll agree that you having body guards is a good idea. It's just as to who, she'll decide. She most likely might pick us. We'll see. You'll know by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. But for tonght and tomorrow, the castle is very heavily guarded. You should be safe for now," Hatori said to me.

-Curtains Up-

(Kyo's POV)

I didn't go back to sleep that night. I just laid on the couch staring up at the ceiling until the first lights of sunrise peeked through the window. When it came in, I sat up, and walked over to the window, and looked out. It was kind of cloudy outside; which probably meant there might be a summer storm later.

As I stared out, I remembered everything that had gone through my mind the entire night. I was worried about Tohru. She and her sister were the only ones I had thought about all night. If there was one thing that everyone in this kingdom knew was that Tohru and her sister were incredibly close to each other. They were for the most part the only real family each other had.

I walked back into the bedroom to check on Haru. As soon as I opened the door, I was hit by this horrible, gut wrenching scent. I covered my mouth, with my sleeve, and used my arm to push open the other door. I was rather shocked by the sight before me.

Haru had vomited...a lot. In his drunken stupor the night before, he had said he wouldn't throw up...and this was the result. I hadn't expected a mess this big.

"Haru...," said with a groan. I knew that since Shishou was gone, clean up would go to me.

Haru opened his eyes and sat up slowly and looked at me. He stared at me blankly for a few seconds...he had a tendency to just stare at people for no reason. Then his brow furrowed in a twitch, and threw his hands over his eyes. "Ughhhh..."

I knew that look. Hangover headache. He'd gotten them quite a few times before. I sighed and walked over, the scent of the vomit starting to neutralize itself in my nostrils.

"Haru, when will you learn? Getting drunk does you no good. You get sick afterwards...it's not worth it! When will your stupid thick skull get that?" I said angrily.

He said nothing for a moment, face still in his hands, moaning some. Finally he looked up at me, a hand over one eye, the other eye squinting. "Can you close the curtain please?"

I sighed in irritation, and walked over to the curtain shutting it. Then he seemed to relax some, but his face was still contorted as if he were in pain.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," he said leaning down on his knees.

"You should be," I said, glaring at him.

He looked at his hands, studying them. "I was actually very determined not to get drunk walking in because I didn't want to ruin your fun with the princess. But..."

"But what? Haru, are you addicted to it or something?"

"No...that's not it. I met these two guys at the party...they were both dressed as some kind of black bandits or something. We got to talking, and one of them had this large bottle of liquor in his hand. We just got to talking, and I kind of lost track and got distracted with how many times he was refilling my cup. After a while they said that they enjoyed talking to me and that they had some business to attend to. That was when I ran into Lady Isuzu...that woman I have a crush on. Well, I guess the liquor made me very confident, because I started flirting with her, and telling her how much I liked her. She seemed amused by it, it think. She said I was cute. So, we started hanging out. Then she got Lady Kagura, and we decided to go into the gardens, and that's when we ran into you."

I listened to his story...I wasn't sure how credible it was at first. Alcohol can effect your memory of events. But if there's one thing I knew about Haru is that he never went out of his way to wreck someone's time. I did believe him when he said that he had gone in with every intention not to get drunk. So, I stood there in thought for a minute, and decided I'd believe his story.

Then I remembered what he said about those two men that he mentioned...

"_...they enjoyed talking to me, and that they had some business to attend to."_

That sent a chill down my spine. Maybe those two men he was talking about were the ones that attacked Tohru and Kisa. But...why did they go and make him drunk? That didn't make much sense. But, for some odd reason, I had a feeling that they were both somehow connected. I didn't exactly have enough evidence, and I wasn't sure how the two were intertwined...but somehow, it didn't sit right with me.

"You don't believe me, do you, Kyo?" Haru said quietly, seeming to be worried when I didn't answer..

"No...it's not that...it's just...something in your story may have a connection with some other stuff that happened last night."

"Like what?"

I told him about all that occurred the night before. His facial expression began to change. It still had that grimace of pain from the headache, but the expression was changing. I began to see worry and fear in his eyes...something I really didn't see very much from him.

After I finished, he sat quietly, as if taking it all in. He sat for a few moments, trying to decide what to say. Although, I imagine it might have been difficult to decide what to say with a pounding headache.

Finally, he said, "Hm...there is something kind of fishy about that to me too."

I turned and looked at the vomit on the sheets and floor, grimacing. "Yes. It's a mystery that we will probably have to solve...but, I think for now we need to focus on getting this mess cleaned up and getting back to Lady Akito's."

Haru nodded. "Yeah. I agree. I made quite a big mess." He carefully stood up, and stumbled over to a chair on the other side of the room, I guess to allow me to get the sheets and blankets off of the bed.. He sat down, and put his head to his lap, covering his head with his hands. "Are you still going to go see the princess today?"

I started pulling the dirty sheets off the bed. "Yes. But, I won't be offended if she doesn't show up. I understand that she might not because of what happened last night. But, I told her I'd be there, so, I'll be going."

After we got everything cleaned up, we walked back to Lady Akito's home, and Haru went straight to bed.

Yuki was sitting in a chair reading a book. He looked up at me. "Where did you two go after he got drunk?"

"Shishou found us, and took us to his house. We decided to leave you there so you could continue to enjoy the party, but, I guess you weren't really able to, huh?"

Yuki sighed. "Not as long as a I would have liked. I met a couple of people last night. Lady Machi and Lord Kakeru. They're brother and sister. I'd like to meet with them again. Although, I have to say that Lord Kakeru is a little on the annoying side..."

We talked for a few minutes, and then I decided I should probably get started on my errand of delivering swords. I'd work my way over to the palace. When I left, I tried not to get my hopes up.

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

At the end of the night, Arisa still had not returned. I tried not to worry about her though. I knew that for a woman, she could definitely hold her own and defend herself if need be. So, I sat with Saki and Kisa the whole night. Saki and I didn't talk much; we were too focused on watching my little sister and praying for her rather than anything else.

As the hours in the day went on, I remembered at one point that I was meeting Monsieur Kyo at three. "Saki, do you have the time?"

"Yes, your highness," she said, looking out the window. "It's either three o'clock, or almost three."

I stood up in surprise, turning to the door. "Oh my! I need to go! I'll be back soon! I need to keep my date with Kyo..."

Saki nodded. "Yes...you do. Kisa is okay, your highness. She just needs her rest."

With that, I walked as quickly as a could out to the gardens. I walked over to the gate, and saw him standing outside of it. He looked up at me, and a small, awkward smile came across his face. Oh, how I loved that look on his face. It was so...nice.

"Hey," he said, setting his bag down. "I wasn't sure if you would come down today."

I smiled back, and unlocked the gate for him to come inside. "Of course I came down. I mean...my sister is okay, and the castle is heavily guarded. I'm honestly surprised that the guards allowed you to come to the gate. "

Kyo shook his head. "Nah. The guards are alright. The musketeers down there know who I am...they're not worried about me being up to mischief."

Then, I took him by the hands and pulled him inside. "Did you have to sneak out?"

He blushed as I touched his hands. "N-not really. I had errands to run today, so I stopped here on the way."

"So you can't stay long?" I said starting to feel a little disappointment rising up in me.

"I can waste a little time here," he said starting to wrap his fingers around mine as well. "I don't have a time schedule to keep, really."

"That's good then," I said, feeling glad that he was able to stay.

I released one of his hands, and, holding only one of them. "Um, well, would you like a tour of the garden?"

Kyo nodded awkwardly, blushing. "Uh...sure. Why not?"

-Curtains Up-

(Kyo's POV)

Her small hand was so white, and soft. It felt nice to to have hers in mine. My hand was sort of rough looking from all the work I have to do. They weren't dirty, but they weren't nice like hers by any means. But she didn't seem to care. She just looked glad that I was there, and it seemed to make her happy that I was holding her hand.

The first thing that she wanted to show me were the roses. The blossoms in her garden were really big, and colorful. I'd never seen anything quite like it. Her large, brown eyes seemed to light up just looking at them. Then I remembered the rose I gave to her last night.

"Uh...hey...do you still have the rose I gave you?"

Suddenly her expression changed from smiling to surprise. Then, her face began to turn upset. "I...think...I dropped it...when that man started to run after me." She began to tear up. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even remember it until now!"

"Uh...hey...it's alright. Please don't start..."

Crying. She began to cry in front of me. My heart began to race out of anger at myself. _Way to go, idiot,_ I thought. _You made her cry._

I sighed in irritation, but squeezed her hand. "Look, your highness...it's okay. I shouldn't have asked. But...maybe...we could go look for it if you'd like?"

She looked up at me, and nodded. "Okay. But...you can call me 'Tohru' if you want to..."

"Uh...sure," I said with a nod back to her.

We walked over first to the place I had met her at the night before. We looked around that area, but we didn't find it. Then, she led me over the area she had run. Finally, we found the rose.

I knelt down to pick it up, and I handed it to her. "Here."

"Thank you," she said, holding it in her hands. "I'm surprised...it's still so beautiful even after what happened last night." Then her face dropped, and she began to cry again.

"What's wrong?" I asked in confusion.

"I...I just...I'm sorry. I'm making this date horrible."

"No...no you're not. You had a bad night last night. How in the world is that your fault?"

She hugged the rose to her chest. "I don't know," she whispered. "I'm just so shaken up. I'm scared. I'm just so scared that it'll happen again. And there's no telling what will happen to either me or Kisa. I just don't understand why anyone would want to hurt me. I do the best I can to get along with everyone...I just fear I might have done something to someone without realizing it...and now, they're getting back at me. I feel awful."

I stared down at her for a second. She was so...worried about the fact that she might have hurt someone else. Right now, I couldn't believe I was looking at the ruler of our nation. She seemed like a regular girl to me. Not someone with insane amounts of power. Some people in her position would be demanding an immediate search party for the men who did this. Then, they'd make sure their heads would be chopped off. But, no; she was worried that she might have hurt someone; of all the things she could be worried about.

Then, I did something that could have been really stupid. I did it without much thought...I reached out, and pulled her into me. One arm about her waist, one hand stroking her hair out of comfort. We stood there for a few minutes like this. Her heart seemed to pick up speed with each second that I held her.

Finally, reality struck a chord, and I realized what I was doing. I quickly backed away, my cheeks heating up. "Uh...er...I'm sorry...I don't know...why I did that."

She looked up at me, blinking in surprise, her face confused, as if it were trying to register in her brain what had just happened. Finally, she spoke. "No...it's okay." She stepped closer to me. "I...feel a little bit better now. Monsieur Kyo. Thank you. I feel silly for acting that way."

"It's not silly," I scoffed. "Tohru, you were traumatized out of your mind last night. If anything, it's expected that you'd be acting like this."

Then she began to cry again, and ran into me, sobbing into my shirt. "I'm...so...scared."

I wrapped my arms around her in uncertainty again. It felt strange. We had just met over a week ago. But, I felt this strange connection to her. It felt as if...I _needed _to be by her side. I _needed _to be with her. It almost seemed like I'd known her my entire life. Well, I kind of had, her being my princess and all. But...I meant known her as in someone I associate with very often. Like...a close friend...but deeper than that.

And, so far, I couldn't think of her as my princess. I could only think of her as this girl that I felt like I could potentially become very close to. Already, it was so easy to just let our guards down around each other...and today proved it; she showed her loving side by worrying that the man that had attacked her made her think that was a result of her hurting someone else. She also showed me that she seemed to trust me by allowing me to hold her; and by running back into my arms again, crying.

How was this possible? How could I feel so close this girl when I hardly knew her? It didn't make any sense...but, I felt so comfortable with her, that I couldn't bring myself to let her go. Logically, I shouldn't be holding her like this. Logically, this is all wrong. But, when you're at ease, it's hard to do anything but what you're doing. It felt like this was what I was supposed to be doing.

-Curtains Up-

(Tohru's POV)

As I stood there sobbing into his shirt, I began to feel this overwhelming sensation of being safe. I felt vulnerable, I _was _vulnerable; but it was as if he were a shield defending me against

all the scary things in this world. All the things that could hurt me, he was protecting me from.

I barely knew this young man. But what I did know was that he was kind, and caring. I could tell from the night before was that when there was someone that he was close to, he put their needs before his...even if he didn't particularly want to, and that person didn't deserve it. I also knew he was kind because...here I was, someone he didn't know very well, but, he was trying to comfort me anyway...and he was treating me like a regular human being. Not just someone who felt they needed to respect me because they had to.

I looked up at him, so many things I wanted to say. There was so much running through my head at the moment, that I really didn't know what to say. So we looked at each other for a minute until finally, I said, "Kyo...I don't understand..."

"What don't you understand?" He said, his face taking on a curious expression.

"All...this..." I said quietly. "I feel strange..."

He loosened his grip on my waist, his brow furrowed in worry. "I'm sorry...I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

I shook my head. "No...it's not that." I pulled away, and held his hand again. "I've never felt like this with anyone before. It's so weird...I've tried talking to so many other boys before...Lords, mainly. Some of them are wonderful gentleman, and are very kind to me, but they...I don't feel any connection to them at all. I guess what I'm trying to say is that...so far I really like you."

Kyo smiled at me. "Well, that's good, because I like you too. So...do you want to..."

My heart felt like it flipped in my chest. "Court? Do I want to court you?"

"Uh, yeah...something like that, I guess," He said, blushing.

I paused for a moment thinking. "I would like that. But...we might need to keep it a secret for just a little while. We might need to got about this slowly."

"That might be a good idea," he said, nodding.

At that moment, something caught my eye. As soon as I looked up, a young woman ran away from the gate...although, I couldn't see who it was.

"Um, someone was watching us, I think..."

He looked over where I had, his face becoming worried. Then, he began to pull me towards the gate. When we made it there, we looked around for the girl, but didn't see her.

"This could be bad..." He said, still looking around. "Depending on who that was..."

"M-maybe you should go now," I said sadly.

"Yeah...I probably should. I need to get the rest of the swords delivered."

"Can you come tomorrow...the same time?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I can do that," he said, smiling. He then turned to leave, but then turned back around and kissed me on the cheek. With that, he walked out the gate, picking up the bag of swords, and began to walk down the alley way.

As I watched him leave, I felt kind of sad...but, I knew I'd get to see him the next day. Then I looked in the direction of the young woman who ran away. I wondered who she was, as well as what would happen next...because I was certain that I didn't know.

After my meeting with Kyo today, I didn't feel like Tohru, the Princess and ruler of the French nation. I felt like...Tohru. Just Tohru; and that was something I hadn't felt for a long time.

-Curtains Up-

When I made it back to my chambers in the castle, Kisa was in bed still, but she was sitting up eating some soup. Saki was sitting next to her, and they were both talking.

"How are you feeling?" I said, walking over to my sister.

She smiled at me. "I'm feeling a little better."

"I'm glad," I said, sitting down on the bed next to her.

Saki then turned to me. "Your highness, you should tell us how your date with this 'Kyo' person went."

"Yes, sister! Please tell us!" Kisa said, her little face lighting up.

I squeezed Kisa's hand. "I would love to tell you all."

I then relayed the story from beginning to end. I had to be honest, I was unsure of how they would take him holding me. But, they seemed to get excited over the whole story. Well, it was kind of hard to tell with Saki.

"Oh! That's so wonderful! Is he your beau now?" Kisa asked me in earnest.

I debated as to whether or not I should tell them about our secret courtship. But, then I decided I could tell them. I trusted these two.

"He asked me if I wanted to court him, " I told them, smiling.

Saki gave me a small smile. "And what did you tell him?"

"I said yes."

Kisa's smile got so big, that I wasn't sure it could get any bigger. "Oh! That's so wonderful! We must let everyone know! We should plan a wedding!"

I shook my head. "N-no...not right now."

"Why not?" Saki asked blank faced. "This is a big occasion. You're finally courting someone."

"Yes, I guess it is kind of big, especially for me. But, we decided to keep it a secret for now. I get the feeling that life is about to get really crazy for me. Besides, I think someone was spying on Kyo and I today. I don't know if they were or not, but I want to be careful not to fuel any possible fires right now."

Saki sighed. "That's understandable. When do you think you'll come out and let everyone know what's going on?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe when they finally find the people who tried to kill us, and we figure out why." Then I began to look around. I just realized that Arisa was still missing. It had to be about 5:00 pm by now.

"Do you have any idea where Arisa is?" I asked.

Saki shook her head. "No. I haven't seen her since very early this morning when she ran out."

I swallowed hard. "Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"No," she replied. "But, if I do remember correctly, she ran out as if she had some business to attend to."

I stood up again. "We need to find her! She shouldn't have been gone for this long!"

Saki nodded in agreement. She stood up as well, and walked over to me, and took my hands. "Yes, we do. But, we have to be calm, your highness."

I tried to relax some. "Yes. You're right. I just...I'm really worried about Arisa."

"I am too," Saki said with a sad smile. "We should round up a search party to try and find her."

With that, we said a quick goodbye to Kisa, and went to go talk to some of the guards.

-Curtains up-

A/N: Oi. These past few months have been a doozy on me. Lots of stressors have been inhibiting me from writing. But either way, I am working on my stories.

Merry Christmas by the way! Hope everyone's Christmas is wonderful!

God bless!

-Takara-Star-Chan


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